New California Law • Youth Sports

California AB 310 Is Here: What Every Youth Sports Coach in Orange County & LA County Needs to Know

The clock is ticking toward January 1, 2027. Here’s exactly what the new law requires — and how to get your coaches certified in a single day.

If you coach a youth team, run a league, or manage a sports club anywhere in Southern California, a new state law now applies to you. Assembly Bill 310 — the Nevaeh Youth Sports Safety Act — was created after the tragic, preventable loss of young athletes to sudden cardiac arrest. Its goal is simple: when a child’s heart stops on the field, the adults nearby should know exactly what to do in the first few minutes that decide everything.

Here’s the hard truth every coach should sit with: sudden cardiac arrest is the #1 cause of death in young athletes on the field, and survival drops by roughly 10% for every minute that passes without CPR and a defibrillator. Paramedics are often 7–10 minutes away. The person who saves that child won’t be an EMT — it will be the coach standing right there.

What AB 310 Actually Requires

In plain English: your coaching staff needs to be CPR/AED certified, and you need a plan. The deadline sounds far away — but between seasons, roster changes, and busy schedules, the smart leagues are getting their coaches trained now, before the year-end rush when class seats fill fastest.

Who Needs to Get Trained

If you organize practices or games for youth athletes in California, this almost certainly includes you:

• Community & club sports leagues (soccer, baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, and more)
• Cheer, gymnastics, martial arts, and swim programs
• Head coaches, assistant coaches, and team staff
• Program directors and volunteer coordinators writing the emergency plan

Get Your Whole Team Certified in One Day — Locally

Pulse CPR is an American Heart Association (AHA) authorized training center serving Orange County and Los Angeles County. We train exactly what AB 310 calls for — CPR and AED for both children and adults — and we’ve made it about as easy as it gets for a busy coaching staff:

Whether you want to book on-site training for your entire league or send individual coaches to one of our public classes in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Downey, or La Mirada, we’ll get your staff AB 310-ready.

One day of training. A lifetime of readiness for the kids you coach.

Don’t wait for the deadline — be the coach who’s ready before the moment comes. Get started with Pulse CPR →

This article is provided for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Youth sports organizations should review the full text of AB 310 and consult qualified counsel to confirm how the law applies to their program.

The American Heart Association strongly promotes knowledge and proficiency in BLS, ACLS, and PALS and has developed instructional materials for this purpose. Use of these materials in an educational course does not represent course sponsorship by the American Heart Association. Any fees charged for such a course, except for a portion of fees needed for AHA course materials, do not represent income to the Association.